Page 29 of Love, Rekindled

Jayla dug in her heels. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t allow you to enter that cave,” he announced, his voice hard with regret. Why the hell had he ever brought her to this place? “Not when we have no idea if the dragon is immune to your powers. Or even if you’ll be able to hold onto the sword.”

“Without your sword, you’ll die.”

He glanced away from her hauntingly beautiful face, watching the snowflakes drift past and swirl down the chasm just a few inches away.

“Perhaps it’s my fate,” he murmured in soft tones. “I have risen from the grave more times than a vampire has any right to?—”

“No.” Without warning, Jayla reached up to frame his face in her hands. “A miracle brought you back into my life. Nothing is going to take you away again.”

He felt the cool brush of her lips.

Then the world froze.

CHAPTER 7

Jayla tooka dangerous minute to simply savor the sight of Azrael frozen by her powers. Like an exquisite butterfly suspended in amber. The last time he’d been trapped, she’d stuck a dagger in his heart. Now, she allowed her gaze to trace the perfect lines of his face and the brilliant blue of his eyes.

This astonishing male had not only forgiven her for killing him, but he was convinced that she was his mate.

And she agreed.

Jayla had known he was special from the moment she’d caught his wild, fiercely male scent. It had settled deep in her heart, haunting her dreams for the past seven hundred years. A part of her had accepted that she’d destroyed her mate. And the fact that she was destined to be eternally alone.

It seemed a fitting punishment.

Now…

A perilous hope bloomed in the very center of her being. As Azrael had said, they didn’t have the most romantic beginning, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a romantic ending. Right?

But only if you retrieve the sword, a voice in the back of her mind urgently reminded her.

Spinning on her heel, Jayla dashed toward the nearby cave. The heat in the air remained, but it no longer pulsed with an unspoken threat. Snowflakes hovered in mid-air like miniature stars.

It’d been so long since she’d used her power, she had almost forgotten the sheer beauty of a world standing utterly still. Not that she would linger to appreciate the sight. Her power burned through her with alarming speed. It wouldn’t be long before it completely drained her.

Moving with blinding speed, Jayla entered the dragon’s den. She had a vague impression of a massive form curled at the very back of the cave, along with piles of bones from the animals—and a few demons—she’d been chomping on to ease her hunger. Closer to the front was a scattering of coins, jewels, and uncut gems. No doubt they were offerings from the locals.

Everyone knew the best way to appease a dragon was to add to their hoard.

Among the treasures, Jayla spotted a dozen weapons. Only one, however, wasn’t encrusted with diamonds or rubies or emeralds.

It was the sword she’d seen Azrael holding when they were in Moscow.

Darting forward, Jayla grabbed the weapon, never slowing as she dashed out of the cave and along the narrow ridge. She had only seconds before her power faded, and time started ticking again. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between her and the dragon before the lethal creature caught her scent.

She was a few feet away from Azrael when her power started to sputter. She could see her companion’s fingers begin to twitch, but before he opened his eyes, the scent of herbs swirled through the air.

Coming to a halt, Jayla glanced over her shoulder. Nothing. It wasn’t until a shadow passed over her head that she realized a creature had been perched on a jagged peak above the ridge.

She clutched the sword in her hand, barely possessing the strength to stand upright, let alone fight. And, worse, as time started flowing again, she felt an unpleasant sensation in the palm of her hand. As if the sword were waking up and trying to escape.

The creature landed lightly on the path, directly between her and Azrael.

“Who are you?” he demanded, his arrogant tones rasping against Jayla’s raw nerves.

She squared her shoulders, sweeping a disdainful gaze over the intruder. He was obviously fey with delicate features and a slender body covered by leather pants and a matching jacket. It wasn’t until she caught sight of his strangely metallic bronze eyes that matched his long hair that she realized he was one of the rare Sylvermyst.

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